Low-temperature distillation



June 19, 1924. 1,497,083

E. BARRS LOW TEMPERATURE DISTILLATION Filed Dec. 19, 192] new M i w" a a it I :1 nears, or Lennon, ENG-L nrsrma'rrom'.

Application filed December 19, 1981. Serial No. 528,457.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD BARRs, a sub- 'ect of the King of England, residing n London En land, have invented certain new and use 111 Improvements in Low-Temperature Distillation, of which the followin is a specification.

his invention is for improvements 1n or relating to low temperature distillation andhas for its object to provide a cheaper and more efficient form of, distillation retort than has heretofore been in use.

It has previously been proposed to provide these distillation retorts with a fireclay bottom beneath or in which the heatingconduits or flues were disposed. Such a bottom, however, adds to the expense of manufacture and up-keep, and hinders the transmission of heat which is thus lost to the material under treatment.

A retort for low temperature distillation of coal, according to the present invention, is characterized by the working-bottom being composed of coal and having formed or embedded in it the flues whereby the retort is heated.

The heating-conduits or flues may be laid on the upper surface of the retort-bottom (which is below the working-bottom) m such manner that the material will surround and lie on the flues, that portion of it which lies above the flues being aloneintended to be moved forward through the retort, for the purpose of leaving a layer to serve as the working-bottom of the retort.

There may be combined with the flues means (for example a reciprocating rabble) for moving the material through the retort and guides therefor so arranged as to prevent the said means from entering thearea occupied by the flues.

The accompanying drawing shows a long1- tudinal vertical sectlon through a retort, the upper and middle portions of which are broken away as being unnecessary to the understanding of the invention.

The retort-chamber A is provided with a bottom B which may be of fire-clay as before, but the expense of upkeep is reduced because it is not subjected to the hard usage resulting from the continual movement of the material on the bottom of the retort, as is the case when this bottom contains the heating-flues. The heatin flues 0 take the form of self-contained con uits conveniently of metal and are sup orted on rollers C on the upper surface 0 the retort-bottom B. At the rear end of the retort a stufiing-box C is provided for each conduit, and the conduits extend through these stufing-boxes and thus through the back wall of the chamber to a collecting chamber A whence the medium for heating the retort esca es from the conduits. The forward ends 0 the conduits are provided each with a downwardlydirected extension D which is connected to the conduit by a right-angled elbow or joint D and these extensions 1) are connected in pairs, two to a right-angled elbow or joint D which carries an extension shown in chain-line at D, and another two to a right-angled elbow or joint D which receives in it a further extension D. It will be observed that the conduits C with their extensions D constitute right-angled members lying in vertical planes and that the extensions D and l) lie with their through axes at right-angles to the planes occupied by the conduits with their firstmentioned extensions, so that provided the joints-are loose a rockin -act1on can take place about the extensions 3 and D as the main conduits C expand and contract.

The material enters the retort-chamber by way of the hopper E and it is fed forward by a reciprocating rabble F which is constructed and operates as is described in my earlier United States patent specification No.

523,456 filed December 19, 1921, Rabbles for low temperature coal-distillation purposes or other purposes where a like move- -ment of the material is required. This rabble has'depending grids or scrapers F and recipro'cates in the manner described in the said, earlier specification along two tracks, an upper and a lower, part of the lower track being shown at G and part of the upper at G These two tracks are connected to ramps, whereof one is shown at G, by which the rollers F of the rabble rise towards the end of its forward travel. A shunt plate H has lugs H for bridgi the gaps in the upper track at the top the ramps. When the rabble moves back wards its rollers first travel over these bridge pieces H and before dropping through the gaps in the upper track, abut against stops, such as H, on the shunt plate and shift the latter so far that the ram 5 are left free for the. next ascent of the rabb e.

The lower ends of the grids or pushers F of the rabble travel forward in the plane indicated by the chain-line G and the return movement is at a higher level. llt thus follows that the material fed in through the hopper E is spread along the door of the chamber between and over the conduits C and only that part which lies above the line G is moved forward throughthe chamber. The material under treatment, therefore, provides its own working-bottom and the bottom B is not subjected to the abrasion and other hard usage which it is ordinarily subjected to when the whole of the material is moved along it and the dues are embedded in it. The working-bottom provided by the material under treatment allows a greater percentage of heat to reach the material fed through the retort than is possible when the Hues are mounted within a fire-clay bottom.

It will thus be seen that by means of this invention a cheaper retort is provided, as the bottom is less expensive to construct than one in which fines have to be formed or embedded, the cost of upkeep is less and the heat generated is more efiiciently used than is the case with retorts at present employed.

It will be appreciated that the fines need not always be self-contained, for example if metal dues are used in the first instance and the gases which traverse them are such as to attack the metal this would in time become destroyed by corrosion and the fines will merely take the form of cored ways through the working-bottom, and, indeed, in some cases where it is known that corrosive gases are going to be employed as the heatin -medium, the working-bottom may be ma e up of partially distilled coal tamped into position around cores which may afterwards be withdrawn. Such a working-bottom may be made up in the retort or it may be introduced into the retort after it has been made.

What ll claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. For use in the low-temperature distillation of fuel, a retort having a bottom of refractory material, means comprising at least one dependin scraper movably mounted in the retort or moving fuel forward therethrough, the bottom of which scraper is located above the refractory bottom and is arranged to move along a path spaced away from the refractory bottom, and heating fines located in the space between the refractory bottom of the retort and the said path along which the bottom of said scraper travels.

2. For use in} the low-temperature distillation of fuel, a retort having a bottom of refractory material, means com rising at least one depending scraper movaib aceaoea ed in the retort for moving fuel forward throu h the retort along at the working level locate above the refractory bottom of the retort, guides for said means so arranged that the bottom of the scraper moves along at the level of the said working bottom, rol ers arranged in rows on the refractory bot-- tom of the retort, and heating flues carried cated in the space between the said bottoms and extendin through a wall of said retort, and stufing oxes, one for each conduit in said wall.

4:. For use in the low-temperature distillation of fuel, a retort having a bottom of refractory material, means comprising at least one depending scraper movably mounted in the retort for moving fuel forward through the retort along a working level located above the refractory bottom of the retort, guides for said means so arranged that the bottom of the scraper moves along a path at the level of the said working bottom, selfcont-ained conduits for a heating medium located in the space between the said bottoms and extending at one end through a wall of said retort and having each an elbow at its other end, stufling boxes, one for each conduit in said wall, main conduits for a heating medium disposed at right-angles to said self-contained conduits and having vertical T-pieces each connected to one of said elbows, the joints of the IT-pieces with the main conduits being fluid-tight but sufficiently loose to permit of their connections with the elbows to rock about the main conduits when the said self-contained conduits expand and contract.

5. For use in the low-temperature distillation of fuel, a retort having a bottom a of refractory material adapted to support a layer of combustible material providing a working bottom at the working level for carrying the fuel undergoing distillation, and dues for a heating medium in said layer below the working level for heating the said layer and fuel.

6. For use in the low-temperature distillation of fuel, a retort having a bottom of refractory material adapted to carry a layer of coked material providing a working bottom at the workin level for carrying the fuel undergoing distil ation, fines for a heating medium in said layer below the working ly mount= level for heating the said layer and fuel, and

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memes means mounted in the retort for moving fuel forward through the retort along the said working bottom.

7 For use in the low-temperature distillation of fuel, a retort having a bottom of refractory material adapted to carry a layer of combustible material providing a working bottom at the working level for carrying fuel undergoing distillation, self-contained flues for a heating medium embedded in said layer below the working level and extending through a wall of. said retort, and stufi'- ing boxes, one-for each flue, in said wall.

8. For use in low-temperature distillation of fuel, a retort having a bottom of refrac tory material adapted to carry a layer of coked material providing a working bottom at the working level for carrying fuel undergoing distillation, rollers arranged in rows on the refractory bottom, and selfcontained conduits for a heating medium embedded in said layer below the working level and carried each by a row of said rollers, which conduits extend fluid tight through a wall of the retort.

9. For use in the low-temperature distillation of fuel, a retort having a bottom of refractory material adapted to carry a layer of combustible material providing a working bottom at the working level for carrying fuel undergoing distillation self-contained conduits for a heating medium embedded in said layer below the working level and extending at one end through a wall of said retort and having each an elbow at its other end, stufling boxes, one for each conduit, in said wall, main conduits for a heating medium disposed at right angles, tosaid selfcontained conduits and having T- ieces, each connected to one of said elbows, the joints of the T-pieces with the main conduits being sufficiently loose to permit of their connections with the elbows to rock about the main conduits when the said self-contained conduits expand and contract.

10. For use in the low-temperature distillation of fuel, a retort having a bottom of refractory material adapted to carry a layer of coked material providing a working bottom at the working level for carrying fuel undergoing distillation, fines for a heating medium embedded in said layer below the working level, means mounted in the retort for movin fuel through the retort along the said wor ing bottom, and guides for said means so arranged as to prevent the latter from entering the layer below the said working bottom.

1-1. For use in the low-temperature distillation of fuel, a retort having a bottom of refractory material adapted to carry a layer of coked material providing a working bottom at the working level for carrying fuel undergoing distillation, rollers arranged in rows on the refractory bottom, self-contained conduits for a heating medium embedded in said layer below the working level and extending at one end through a wall of said retort, which conduits are carried each by one of said rows of rollers, and have each an elbow at its other end, stufling boxes, one for each conduit, in said wall, and main conduits for a heating medium disposed at right angles to said self-contained conduits and having vertical T-pieces and each connected to one of said elbows, the joints of the T- pieces with the main conduits being sufficiently loose to permit of their connections with the elbows to rock about the main conduits when the self-contained conduits expand and contract.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

EDWARD Baans. 

